Old faces, new feelings
by doctorgilbert
Summary: Changes in the cast of Saturday Night Live do not please everyone, but one cast member is very pleased about one change...
1. a ghost from our past

The cast of Saturday Night Live, an American late-night live television sketch comedy show, was buzzing. A few cast members had left the show, and it was such a shock for fans and even actors inside the show and they even knew something like this was going to happen. The fans over the world speculated that one of the leaving members would be Kate McKinnon, who had had a couple of big roles in blockbusters movies, but they breathed well after the news. Beck Bennett and Cecily Strong had left the show along the featured players, who were replaced. It was new how the actors were just replaced (due to "new changes" so they would reach even bigger audiences, though Cecily and Bennett did not get fired but left because they got more jobs from movies and TV-shows, so no drama there even though some fans claimed that they got fired), but even more surprising was who would replace the actors and the surprise was held as long as possible. Maybe it was good to keep the interest up, and not to break the Internet yet. Because that was something no-one would ever had guessed.

The beginning of October was getting closer and closer, by week and week. It was the beginning of September when the cast of the show heard the first rumors. Sure, there were some nice potential players, but no-one was over everyone else so no-one could say yes or no to anything. Not until that one meeting where the current cast would meet the new faces.

Well, new and new.

. . .

Kate McKinnon was the first one who grabbed some cheese from the plate. She had collected a nice plate for herself until someone mentioned about it.

"Kate, we would want some Emmental as well", someone said to her and after a moment she grunted and put half of her Emmental away. What could she do? The party starts with a cheese plate. She shakes her head and heads to the couch in the corner of the room. She liked people, of course, but sometimes she just felt a feeling of being alone, so there she sat – with a plate of cheese, in the corner of the room. All the other ones tended to pick a chair closer to the big screen that was nailed to the wall. This was it. This was the official meeting where the new faces of show would be announced.

"We had a lot of great applicants", a woman with a very tiny voice started and tried to handle the Apple TV screen with her finger. It did not work out so well, but she tried her best. Kate moved a little closer after the cheese was eaten, and food was gone anyway so she could not take another plate of it. She decided to move closer. She grabbed a free chair next to Aidy Bryant, her colleague and moved her plate and glass away so she could lean to her elbow.

"So", she whispered to Aidy who tried to focus on the screen and the woman who tried to explain why they did the changes and when the rehearsals would start. Aidy shrugged.

"I don't know, but I wish it's someone who really takes this job seriously and makes us laugh. Well, not crack on air but… you know. Someone who is ready to work in this group and not a total asshole", she tried to keep her voice as low as she could, because Aidy was sure if she could whisper even a little louder she would be as loud as that woman with a tiny voice in front of the cast.

"Yeah", Kate scratched her head, "I wish that too… I mean, if here is even one asshole who tries to create drama, that is a no-no", she sighs and remembers some of the worst hosts who were such divas on the set. No long after that she made a mischief grin. Maybe the new star of the show would be a girl who likes girls. Not that she would be interested, but she did not have any action going on in her romantic part of life, so if she met the love of her life on the set of her ultimately favorite show and workplace, it would be even more than great–

Apparently she had not been listening at all. She head how people around her started to talk enthusiastically. She tried to see what was going on, what made them so wild after a long period of being so silent. Well, mostly to hear the shy girl, the new assistant, but also what made the tension to discharge so quickly. Thankfully she found it out pretty quickly. The screen said 'the first new cast member'.

"Please welcome the new member of the cast for this season, the former cast member Kristen Wiig!" The assistant had voice when the familiar actress was about to step to the room. Everyone started to whistle and clap, but Kate's chin dropped to the table when she saw her. Kristen Wiig. The Kristen Wiig. Kristen with dark brown, wavy hair and in a red sweatshirt. In black skinny jeans. With adorable ankle boots. She always had something weird and unmatching in her outfit. That was something Kate found always so cute. That was so Kristen… Wait, Kristen? Here? As her colleague? Kate felt how blood rushed to her face and especially the cheeks. She was usually so calm, so cool about life overall. But something about Kristen made her lose it all, forget everything else inside her head at that moment. Kristen, Kristen, Kristen.

She knew she was doomed when her and Kristen's eyes met.


	2. shy kristen

Kate was so nervous. Kristen was here. Sure, normal people were... normally around Kristen. But Kate had a very, very good reason to spring out of the room and find her own changing room. She just couldn't face her now. Well, not now, not ever–

"Kate!"

Shit, she thought. She felt warm hand through her thin basic long-sleeved shirt and she inhaled deeply before turning and facing a woman with now dark brown hair that was almost reaching her shoulders. Kate forced a little smile to Kristen. She did not want to do this, not again. Apparently she was thinking for too long, because Kristen's expression was so odd.

"Are you–are you okay?" she asked Kate who nodded a little bit too quickly.

"I am just… this day has been rough, you know. A lot of planning and some big news", she forced a laugh like she did with her smile a little before.

Kristen let out a little chuckle, too. She shaked her head and crossed her arms, looking at Kate like she had not seen her in a long time. Which was true – Kate wanted some distance after Kristen's hosting night on SNL in November 19th, 2016. She would be lying if she said she did not think about contacting Kristen every day before bed since that, but she just did not want to cause any more pain for herself than she already had. Kristen was… she was Kristen. Come on, Kate thought. Why was she so awkward? She has always been so free with Kristen, there has never been any problem with her. But Kate had now some feelings that would cause so many problems between her and Kristen if Kristen found out, so she just tried the avoiding techique that was not going to work so well anymore.

"Yeah, I understand you", Kristen snapped Kate again out of her thoughts. Kristen turned a little to see how the cast and some producers were already leaving the room, so she turned back to Kate and sighed.

"Hey, it was so great to see you again. We haven't talked in–"

"Yeah, in like some year! Crazy, isn't that? Let's– I know, let's go and grab some coffee, shall we?"

Fuck, Kate thought. Things were going so well and now she asked Kristen out. No, not out. For a coffee. Whatever that was, Kate was sure things would not get better for herself and she was so relieved when Kristen opened her mouth.

"That would be so nice, but I have some things to arrange here in New York..."

For a moment Kate thought there was not going to happen a catastrophe, but her joy was not so long.

"You know what, screw that. We have to catch up. What if I go and grab some things from my new place… you know, everything is one big mess after moving from Los Angeles to here… anyway, I need to grab my stuff and I just have to change my clothes, it's a fucking September and it feels like sauna here… Hey, what about the Starbucks near your place?"

Kate felt that Kristen was the excited one here.

Fine, she couldn't lie. A coffee with Kristen was a dream come true. Kate wished for nothing more than to spend every moment with Kristen, but this is not going to work for her plan to forget any romantic intentions towards her dear, dear friend. And if she blows the things up and Kristen finds out at any point that she has – or had – feelings for her, everything will get awkward and Kristen probably blames her for taking her to a date she has no idea about.

"Kristen– alright. Alright. But don't change clothes for me, this is not a date", Kate laughed and she was so sure she saw something weird about Kristen's face – that expression was not familiar at all. And she knew her pretty damn well.

"It's not for you, McKinnon. As I said, it's hot as hell. And I lived in Los Angeles! Just give me like a hour and I will text you to come down and we will have some great time with coffee… or something colder, I can't drink coffee when it's this hot..." Kristen says and Kate now laughs – really laughs. She was so adorable when she was trembling. Kristen, who was naturally so shy, was fun to look at when she was talking too much. And she did not mean this to be mean. Kristen was so cute. And Kate decided she would slap herself on her cheek and hard when she would get to her place.

"Alright, beautiful. Change your clothes and message me", Kate said and finally walked away.

A little did she know. If Kate would have turned, she would have seen Kristen from such an innocent word, but for her it meant the world at that moment.

But she didn't turn.


End file.
